Bloodied Souls
by LiliXLover
Summary: The Dragonborn and Nordic Huntress Aela have been close allies and friends for a long time, they had travelled all corners of Skyrim together and one day express themselves to one another out in the wilderness. Unknown to them a threat looms over Tamriel and their new founded love is in jeopardy, now the two must fight to keep it intact.
1. Chapter 1

**THE HUNT**

**I do not own Skyrim or The Elder Scrolls series, Bethesda Game Studios are the sole owners, this is my story however. I loved Skyrim so much that I decided write something about it, a story about Dragonborn and Aela the Huntress, probably my favourite characters in the Elder Scrolls series. Hope this story does as well as my Fallout: New Vegas story, enjoy!**

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"Harbinger?" Aela tried getting the attention of the Dragonborn.

He turned to his fiery red headed huntress friend, "Yes Aela?"

"Are you busy?" she questioned him hastily.

"No, not at the moment, why do ask Aela?" he scratched his head confusingly.

"We should hunt together", before he could say anything, she completed her sentence, "Meet me at the grove and... come alone".

The Dragonborn gave a confused look as Aela disappeared, he didn't know what she meant when she said alone, but indeed he needed to go alone.

But he knew Aela wasn't a woman who enjoyed waiting, and he knew if she waited for too long she would probably rip his arms off. So on the spot he decided it wasn't wise to continue waiting, grabbing his daedric gear he travelled west, where Aela was residing.

Farkas halted the Dragonborn on the road however, "Harbinger?"

The Dragonborn patted Farkas shoulder and smiled, "I'm going hunting Farkas, with Aela". Farkas looked up to his leader, as a fellow Nord and as a Dragonborn.

Farkas smiled back, "Enjoy the hunt brother".

"I will Farkas, trust me, I will", both Nords parted ways, the Dragonborn headed West, while Farkas headed back home, to Whiterun.

Halfway down the western route the Dragonborn encountered the ferocious roar of a blood dragon, "Godsdamn it!" he crouched, hoping the dragon hadn't seen him or smelt his presence, but he wasn't so lucky.

It nose-dived down to the Nord Dragonborn, the entire ground shook as it landed on the ground with its massive force. It lunged towards him with its sharp bloodied fangs; he rolled to the side, evading the oncoming attack. Unsheathing his dawnbreaker he began slashing at the dragon's thick neck. The blood dragon was enraged suddenly breathing fire towards his opponent, even though he managed to dodge its second attack, the bushes around him caught on fire.

The dragon flew away, using its flight to its advantage; but as the Dragonborn used an ice spell, the Dragon fell to the floor, shaking its head vigorously, roaring in anger and hate towards Dovahkiin.

"Bastard!" the Dragonborn started swinging at the dragons head, blood splattered all over as the sword sung to the dragon's eye, rendering it blind. The dragon was knocked back; it began scratching its eye, screeching in pain, seeing a weak point the Dragonborn used his signature shout, "FUS RO DAH!"

It growled in anger caught by the surprise attack but was even more surprised to see a sword lodged into its chest piercing the heart. In flash bright flames, the dragon dispersed and the Dovahkiin claimed yet another dragon soul. He stepped on top of the pile of bones and gave a war cry breathing heavily, wiping the sweat off his brow.

After gaining his bearings he suddenly realised he almost forgot about Aela, "Gods damn it! If I'm late Aela is going to have my hide".

Sprinting all the way to grove he eventually appeared where Aela was, the huntress was kneeling near the small waterfall. Breathless, he walked forward, "Aela, I'm...", before he could apologise, Aela suddenly jumped on the Dragonborn, knocking him to the ground; she had a hunger in her eyes which he hadn't seen before.

She unsheathed his weaponry, chucking it to the side, she began clawing at his blonde hair and leaned in, starting to gnaw at his lip seductively, slowly removing his armour pieces with great precision. He didn't fight back, he allowed her to go on, watching interestingly to a side of Aela he hadn't seen before, a seductive and hungry Aela.

Aela kissed his fully detailed body, interested even further, she removed his undergarments, "I see now why they call you Dragonborn", she commented on his private area.

Aela ran her hands down on his hair on his chest; it was detailed, the rock hard abs was just one of the features she loved on him, he was far more detailed than any other Nord, past and present. He lifted her up with arm and surprisingly for a tall Nordic woman, she was very light, "Aela… it's surprising you're so light."

The Huntress placed her long finger on her loves lips, forcing him to be silent, at least for now, "Shh!"

She was heated up, she could feel herself wanting to be absorbed by the man holding her, she shivered but not because of the cold or because she was afraid, but because she wanted this more than anything, it was one thing to be an ally and trusted friend to the Dragonborn, but to be kissed by him, to be touched and held by him, it was an intoxicating experience.

Aela wasn't afraid of him dropping her, she knew he was strong, a mortal with the power equivalent of a god within him, she looked at his muscles, on his arm and his chest, the veins were clearly seen and he held her tightly, yet somewhat gently compared to other Nord men she had seen during her time.

He pulled himself to Aela, he was just as interested as her, and with great speed and strength he removed her armour and removed her undergarments with much desire in his eyes.

He lowered her slowly to the floor, placing her on her back, he was still panting from his fight against the Dragon, but it didn't tire him, nothing tired him. She wanted more, for too long she had been alone, living in solitude with the creatures of the forest. No man in her eyes was worthy of her love, none, not even anyone from the companions, past and present. Each Nordic man she had encountered were pretenders and milk-drinkers or believed to be superior to everyone, especially woman. The Nord in front of her however was worshipping her, with his eyes as well as his hands, this man she was with, was not just a man, he was Dragonborn, the Dovahkiin, he was strong, ferocious on the battlefield as well as bed but also passionate about many things, her included.

Aela licked the sweat off the Dovahkiin's stubble, savouring the taste of a god-like mortal, it was experience she had yet to experience, like most other people in Tamriel.

Aela picked up some his sweat with her fingers and licked it off, smiling in the process of the taste, "I want this, more than anything in the world."

He slid his hands down her thighs, every touch was simple, yet made her feel like different, loved and worshipped, "As do I, Aela."

Dovahkiin gave a wide grin before lifting her up again slightly, but she didn't like that he had total control, she wanted more control. She pushed him back down onto the ground, in a mere second she was atop of him, licking her lips with hunger.

The Dovahkiin placed his tongue on Aela's breast and tit, licking and slightly nibbling on it. She had this desire for many months now, ever since he first joined the circle she greatly desired this man who was also a Dragonborn.

Aela could see the dragon fire light up in his fierce blue eyes, glowing in a bright gold colour, illuminating his entire eye. "More! I want more!" she dragged his head towards hers, "Show me why they call you a Dragonborn".

Heeding her, he placed her on her back on the grass and kissed her entire body before entering his tongue in her private area. She noticed something however, before the lick; he whispered something in the draconic language, "Tiid Klo Ul". She knew what he had done, to her, time felt like it was flowing fine but as a matter of fact he had slowed down time from his end. He savoured every taste of her; he couldn't stop even if he wanted.

Each lick felt intense and perfect, Aela moaned in incredible pleasure, gnawing her lip with each lick and every time his tongue circulated within her. But she wanted more, she wanted him to continue, he lifted her in the air with his strong and powerful arms, kissing her neck over again. Aela wrapped her long and strong legs around him, before wrapping her hands around his neck. "By Sovngarde, please don't stop".

Completely naked atop on his bare body, she felt him grow beneath her giving a wolf like smile towards him, as soon as she felt the touch of him she had to compliment him, "My, you are a big boy, aren't you?"

Gnawing at his lips, he could clearly see she had a wolf like spirit, he could see that she was hungry, her eyes wasn't the only thing showing this, her body, it was hot, almost as if she was melting within him.

She wrapped her arms around the Dragonborn and breathed heavily, "Come inside me, my Dragonborn!"

He dropped to the floor along with Aela and spread her legs; the two began engaging with each other, making rough love on the ground, completely oblivious to the cold. She took him inside of her, their moans and groans were full of pleasure and desire, Aela kissed him passionately on both his lips and neck. She absorbed him within her, she loved this, it was extreme pleasure, losing herself with every strong stroke and pull.

"Gods! Finally, a proper man!"

She never thought this day would come, falling in love, but it happened a long time ago, when she first met him on the fields of Whiterun, she could see he was different. He continued nibbling, licking and kissing the Huntress' perfect breasts, she pondered to herself, _"Am I in love? He is different, I see no reason why I can't be in love."_

She clawed his chest after his hair, her sharp wolf like nails piercing his flesh, the red blood began to slowly seep, the Dragonborn exhaled and groaned sharply, it wasn't painful but rather arousing. Aela licked the blood off his chest, she could taste great power, pulling her tongue out, she licked off the wound, until no more blood was left dripping from his chest.

In the middle of the session, Aela said something she hoped not to say, to never show weakness, especially not in front of the Dovahkiin, but at that moment she opened up, showed a soft spot, a spot that she wanted filled, especially by Dovahkiin.

"I… love you, I love you so much Dovahkiin."

He glared at the Huntress, and while he had loved her since he first met her, he never knew she felt the same way.

For a moment he paused and stared into her eyes, and saw that she indeed did love him and he wanted to let her know, that he felt the same way, "I love you too, Aela."

That was all she wanted to hear, to know he loved her as well, and that she could find comfort in her new love, now and forever, in life and in death.

As the two continued to drive each other wild, their urges reached its peak they both absorbed each other's bodies. All was silent that evening, the three things that were heard that evening was the slight howling of the wind, the chiming of a nearby nirnroot and the pleasurable moans of the two Nords.

The two fell asleep after a few hours of a pleasurable evening of extreme love, Aela was the first to awake, the cool breeze startled her suddenly and she awoke quickly. She was on top of him, she could see he was still fast asleep, completely oblivious of the cold; it was a well-known fact that male Nords were far more adjusted with the cold because of their thick hair on their bodies.

She on the other hand was freezing, she could see her breath in the air, naked, Aela wrapped her arms around the Dragonborn and extracted as much heat as she could from his rather hairy yet warm and masculine body.

He suddenly awoke and gazed at the incredible huntress, "Aela", she looked into his fierce looking and rough face, both of their faces had seriousness on them. But he managed to crack a small smile at Aela.

She too returned a brief smile to her long ally and close friend but immediately covered herself up and moved away from him, "We should head back".

Aela picked up her undergarments and armour, starting to dress herself; he walked up from behind her and placed his hand on her hip, "What's the rush Aela? We have all the time in the world". She turned around to see a grin appear on the Dragonborn's face.

"We should continue on, this area might be safe now, but wild animals might cross this area," Aela said.

"Of course, but we are safe," he assured the red headed huntress.

The huntress simply stared into his eyes and felt emotions fill her, never in her life has she seen a warrior such as him. He was a Dragonborn and perhaps more, but he was still a Nord, a mortal and that's what she loved about him. He turned into a legend among men and elves, earning his right in history, becoming the first Dragonborn in many years, and Aela couldn't ask for a better ally and perhaps even something more.

"You are interesting, you know that, right?", Aela always felt a great hunger fill her entire body every single time she saw him, as if the Nine divines had fated them to meet one another. He was most likely a direct descendant of Talos, the man who became a God, other races may not worship Talos, but after seeing the strength of the Dovahkiin, she wondered, that maybe Talos has actually ascended into godhood.

"So are you... Aela", he slowly stroked her hair and chuckled slightly. He moved away from Aela and also began dressing himself and picking up his weaponry.

"Let's go hunting, shall we?" she took out her hunting bow; the Dragonborn quickly followed her, leaving her to lead the hunt.

Unknown to them however, Tamriel was about to be plunged into chaos and darkness, and an ancient battle between two bloods will place Skyrim right in the middle of it all. The Dragonborn and Aela will also be placed within it all, and their newfound love is all that matters to them.

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**I've been a major fan of The Elder Scrolls for many years now, played the first and second one, Arena and Daggerfall many years back, uh such good times. The Dragonborn character in this story is the default male Nord found in the previews. I need a name for my Dragonborn though, I can't just call him Dragonborn all the time, and I'm open to ideas, will just call him Dovahkiin. Will fix any mistakes, eventually. **


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO BLOODS**

**Finally I made my second chapter; it's been a while since I have written the first chapter. I was thinking of getting rid of this story, but I decided not to after the reviews, unlike my Fallout: New Vegas story, this story has very short chapters, so hopefully the mistakes will be minor.**

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The smell of the air was clear, the cool breeze swept across the huntress's face, she inhaled it deeply, no matter how many times she walked down the slopes of the mountains, Skyrim was still in her eyes the most majestic place in all of Tamriel.

Following closely was Dragonborn, clad in his heavy armour, overhearing each sound, from the chirps of birds and rustling of the wind. Aela was surprised at how cautious her friend was, his fierce blue eyes suddenly met hers, Aela never had a very high opinion on men, but he was different from the rest, strong in mind and body, determined and cool headed, a different man, a unique man.

"Aela, something wrong?" the dragonborn asked her, after seeing the questioning gaze which set upon him.

Aela quickly turned her head away from him and quickly continued on, "No, nothing's wrong, let's keep moving."

The Dragonborn watched as Aela sprung from tree to tree, moving quietly across the grass, she may have been a Nord, but he had always seen her as something else, and not that she was a werewolf, but something else, equivalent to a goddess of war.

"Aela?" he paused her from her movement, she turned to see the Dragonborn standing close, very close to her.

She didn't like hunting with others but she wanted to know what was on his mind, even though she would prefer a quiet hunt, "What is it?"

The Dragonborn leaned in and gave a smile, "Never mind, I can see it in your eyes that you prefer hunting, rather than talking, eh?"

Aela gave a small nod, placing her arms on her hips, "Yes, I would, but if you have to talk, we'll talk more when get back home." Almost immediately after saying this, she got back into her hunting mode, slowly creeping and being one with the nature.

"Wait!" the Huntress halted any further advance from her friend, she knelt and spotted a large male Elk feeding on its own, Aela gave a grin and slowly and quietly grabbed her hunting longbow. He watched her strong arms and hands pulling the string without much effort, she could sense eye's setting upon, the Dragonborn was more impressed by Aela with each passing day, and even though he knew all Nordic women were strong and resilient, but Aela was something else.

At first she looked around for any other wild animals, turning her head from left to right cautiously before aiming again. In an instant she shot an arrow, it lodged itself between the Elk's eyes, killing it instantly; Aela gave a slight chuckle slowly approaching the Elk's body.

However upon reaching the fallen Elk, war cries were heard from all directions, it was but a moment before they revealed themselves, men and elves, geared in ebony armour, from the look of them, Aela was able to determine that they were werewolf hunters.

"KILL THE SHE-WOLF AND THE DRAGONBORN!" the soldiers unsheathed their silver weaponry, sprinting towards the duo.

Dovahkiin was locked in sword combat with one the larger men, "I thought we killed all of you."

"You simply just kill us, we are many, and you are few", the man swung his sword uncontrollably at his enemy, but before he could land a blow, the Dragonborn managed to cut through the ebony armour, piercing his heart immediately.

On the other side, Aela took down several of the men and elves with carefully aimed arrows, the bodies fell one by one. The huntress unsheathed her longsword but was surprised when they suddenly stopped during the battle.

An unearthly screech filled the entire battlefield, it was deafening to all on the field, including the Dragonborn. A pitch black creature appeared behind the hunters, decapitating two with the swipe of its claws.

"GODS NO! VAMPIRE!" One of the men fearfully screamed out, dropping his weaponry and fleeing away from his comrades.

Aela and Dovahkiin had never seen a vampire such as this one, they had fought hundreds of vampires, but this one was different, more powerful and evil than the rest.

Each and every one of the soldiers that fought against it fell under its might; it licked the blood off its claw before turning its gaze to Aela, "W-Wolf."

Aela gave a half chuckle and dropped her equipment, "That's right, a werewolf."

The huntress transformed herself into her werewolf form and leapt towards the vampire, but to her surprise as well as the vampires, the vampire grabbed Aela's neck and slammed her to the floor, piercing her torso as well as her left leg with its claws.

"Yol toor shul!" Before the vampire could land the killing blow to Aela, the Dragonborn shouted at it, the flames engulfed the creature. He did it for a second time, this time with more anger and fury in his eyes, "YOL TOOR SHUL!"

It screeched and growled in anger, desperately trying to attack Dovahkiin, but with failed attempts. The Dragonborn gripped his sword tightly and swung it at the vampire's head, but it dispersed into a dark energy, cursing Dovahkiin in an ancient language.

Aela reverted back into her human form, her body and right leg were bloodied, the Dragonborn rushed to Aela's aid, "Here let me to help you."

Aela pushed the Dragonborn away from her, "I'm fine."

She tried standing on her feet but found it harder than she had originally expected, she fell to the floor coughing up blood, orange flames appeared in Dovahkiin hand, he placed the fire near Aela's wound, "Here this will help."

Aela gave a look to her friend and didn't know what to think of him anymore, "I trained with the mages, remember?"

"Last I heard you were the Archmage, am I correct?" she gave a small smile to the Dragonborn, holding onto her side.

"Not anymore, that position was given to someone with more expertise in the area", the flames intensified and the wounds no longer hurt as much as before, "Come, it's only temporary, we have to get back to the companions."

Even though she didn't like, she wrapped her arms around Dovahkiin and stood up with his aid, "Fine, let's go, we have to warn them about this vampire."

However before continuing on, Aela pointed towards her hunting bow and sword which was laying on the floor next a dead elf. She leaned down and grabbed the bow and sword, both of them walked slowly towards Whiterun, to warn their allies of the threat they had just fought against.

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**Many thanks to the reviews I received for my first chapter, hopefully I'll be able to create more chapters in the coming weeks and not wait too long, anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, I just played Dawnguard so I may add things from it to this story.**


	3. Chapter 3

**DRAGONS HEART**

**Chapter 3 of Bloodied Souls story, I didn't really like this chapter myself, so I might change some things around, this is not the final product, hopefully I didn't screw this chapter up. I hope there isn't any major spelling errors.**

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The Dragonborn and Aela headed back to Whiterun, they were fortunate that they left the snow behind a couple of hours ago. However, they discovered they were not as lucky as they first believed, heavy and freezing cold rain poured down on them, hindering their path.

The huntress had her arm wrapped around her companion, limping very slowly. As the thunderstorm approached, the rain started to intensify, Aela whispered a couple of Nordic curses under her breath.

Dovahkiin thought it would be wise to stop for a while, the weather wasn't the only thing that hindered their path, bandits and wild animals roamed the earth, while the skies were filled with rouge dragons, searching for the destroyer of Alduin.

"We'll rest here Aela," he noticed a small cavern not too far away.

She turned her head and shook it, the rain pouring down from her strong, female Nordic face, "No, we keep moving."

"Of course, warrior princess."

"Was that meant to be an insult?"

"It's a compliment, take it or leave it."

She gave a pause, stopping the Dragonborn in his tracks, "Fine, but only for a moment."

The duo quickly got themselves into the cave, hoping that the heavy and devastating weather outside passes. It ran deep underground, and chances were that it was used as a bandit hideout at least once in its lifetime.

Aela sat on one of the larger rocks, the battle from before was taking a heavy toll on her, while worried about Aela, he knew she was tough, perhaps even tougher than him.

"I'm going to look around, are you going to be okay?"

Aela scoffed and just gave a look at her harbinger, he knew what that look meant, it was obvious she could take care of herself.

As he moved further into the cave, he noticed a light, fearing it may have been bandits or necromancers; he reached for his blade, preparing to unsheathe and strike the hooded figure. He hesitated when he noticed it was a short, old, blind Breton man.

"Come in child, it is rare for me have any visitors, it has been many seasons indeed."

He released his hand from his sword, knowing that there wasn't any danger, he called to Aela, "My, my, you two must be soaking wet and hungry I wager, please sit my dears, warm yourselves."

He seemed nice enough, but the two were slow to trust strangers, but he was an old man after all, and blind, posing not a threat at all, or at least they hoped he posed no threat.

Aela was shivering; the loss of blood and heavy rain caused her to become weakened, but being a Nordic woman, she was resilient and hesitated to show weakness of any kind, especially in front of men.

The elder man noticed that Aela was bleeding, being a master mage, he decided to use his strength to help her, he placed his hands near her, "My dear, you're hurt, allow me to heal you."

Aela tried protesting; smacking the man some sense, but as she felt her pain wither away almost immediately, she was grateful to the old man, "Thank you."

Dovahkiin wondered how the old man could sense Aela's pain without even seeing her hurt; the bandages covered all of his eyes, preventing any sight. But Bretons were a unique wonder, with both elven and human blood within their veins.

The large fire in the middle, which was keeping them warm, began to dim; noticing this, the Dragonborn immediately used his shout to strengthen the fire, "Yol Tol Shol!"

As the fire was strengthened, the old man gasped, as he knew who he was now, "You… you are Dragonborn, Dovahkiin, the one with the dragons heart, it is such an honour."

"I'm just a mortal, like you."

"Indeed a wise mortal."

The old man, cleared his throat and started reciting an ancient tablet, Aela and Dovahkiin listened closely to the man's words.

'_Before the birth of men, the dragons ruled all Mundus_

_Their word was the voice, and they spoke only for True Needs_

_For the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land_

_Men were born and spread over the face of Mundus_

_The dragons presided over the crawling masses _

_Man were weak then, and had no voice_

_The fledgling spirits of men were strong in Old Times _

_Unafraid to war with Dragons and their Voices_

_But the Dragons only shouted them down and broke their hearts_

_Kyne called on Paarthunax, who pitied Man_

_Together they taught Men to use the Voice_

_The Dragon war raged, Dragon against tongue_

_Man prevailed, shouting Alduin out of the world_

_Proving for all that their Voice too was strong_

_Although their sacrifices were many-fold_

_With roaring tongues, the sky children conquer_

_Founding the First Empire with sword and Voice_

_Whilst the Dragon withdrew from this world_

_The tongues at Red Mountain went away humbled_

_Jurgen Windcaller began his Seven Year mediation_

_To understand how strong Voices could fail_

_Jurgen Windcaller chose silence and returned_

_The 17 disputants could not shout him down_

_Jurgen the Calm built His home on the Throat of the World _

_For years all silent, the Greybeards spoke to one_

_Tiber Septim, stripling then, was summoned to Hrothgor_

_They blessed and named him Dovahkiin'_

Aela was impressed, though he already heard this, many times, Aela started feeling more appreciative if her Dovahkiin, and through that appreciation, her love for him grew too. Men were weak in hers eyes, corruptible, always warring and claiming, but he was different, he was not a man, he was a Dragonborn, a mortal with a dragon's heart and soul.

The old man grabbed his walking stick and walked to the entrance of the cave, "Excuse me, I will be but a moment."

As the man disappeared, all was silent except the crackling of the fire nearby, Aela was rubbing her chest, while sitting near the fire, warming her. Dovahkiin moved up and sat next to the huntress, and before he could say anything, Aela said something which surprised him, "Marriage!"

"Marriage?"

Aela turned to her new love, and explained, "I find you interesting, I believe I could find happiness with you, do you find me interesting?"

"I do, very interesting; I believe I could find happiness with you as well, so… you are suggesting marriage?"

"I am, what do you think?"

"I see no reason why not."

However before the two could exchange a kiss, Aela suddenly heard howling, werewolf howling, "Do you hear that, it's nearby?"

Dovahkiin tried to listen, but wasn't as tuned in as Aela, "No, why what is it?"

"It's… our brethren, they are in trouble, in battle, dying, and we have to help them."

The huntress sprung to her feet, grabbing her inventory and preparing to find the source of the howling, the Dragonborn felt like something terrible was about to occur, as if this was a trap, but he knew there was no stopping Aela, just needed to follow her, very closely.

Outside, the old man gave a warm and friendly smile, farewelling them and wishing them good luck, and even though the weather was still harsh and deadly, Aela's determination was stronger than ever, to find out the truth of these vampires.

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**There we go, another chapter down, but as mentioned before, I have plans to change some things in this chapter, I believe it could have been better. New chapters are also been made for my fallout stories, but I will fix this first.**


	4. Chapter 4

**UNDER SEIGE**

**Another chapter for the story completed, I'm going to go back and fix and readjust some of the things from my previous chapter, these latter chapters I want to have more words, around 2000, and most of my chapters usually have between 1000-1500. I want to change that, anyway I digress, hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it's quite short.**

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"Smoke?!"

The red headed huntress could see smoke arising in Whiterun's direction, on further inspection, Whiterun and the farms surrounding it, were under siege, not by man, mer, beast or even dragons, but rather the undead.

Aela was concerned for the companions, who would be the bulk, especially with an invasion, "Oh no!"

Aela rushed towards the companion hall, she knew that while they were indeed the strongest and most durable of all warriors, they were somewhat weakened from their former Harbingers death. He knew Aela could take care of herself; he had to protect the Jarl, no matter what the cost, the dragonborn called for his horse, Shadowmere.

It galloped towards its master, its piercing and ruby eyes stalked its path and all everything around it, it paused in front of the Dragonborn, bowing down at the man. Dovahkiin placed his hand on the horse and spoke to it, "Good to see you old friend, you ready?"

The horse snorted as if it were saying yes to its master, it allowed the Dovahkiin to hop onto its back and was as eager as the Dovahkiin to kill some of the roaming undead. The surrounding Whiterun guards and handful of Imperial solders were confused; they weren't sure if this beast was an enemy or a friend, but as soon as they saw the legendary hero riding the horse, they all knew too well that this beast was an ally.

The guards fought valiantly, for Nords admire strength and resilience over anything else, the dark elf Irileth was fending off some of the armed skeletons preparing to attack the civilians, where all huddled up in the temple. The Dragonborn was prepared to assist but saw that the dark elf needed no assistance, "Let me show you how a dark elf fights!"

Her nimble body allowed her to move faster than any Nord, her strikes were so fast the skeletons had no idea what hit them, "That will teach you messing with the wrong dark elf."

Shadowmere grabbed the dark elf's attention, and with it the Dragonborn, "Go help Jarl Balgruuf!"

It wasn't a matter of debating; the Nord nodded and dismounted the Shadowmere, the city bell rang, the Jarl was being attacked, in his own keep, the Dragonborn took a deep breath, preparing to shout, "Wuld Nah Kest!"

Fairly soon he found himself at the front gate of the keep, sprinting inside, he noticed the Jarl was alone, defending himself, all his guards were lying dead on the floor.

"I'll send you back to Sovngarde!"

Dovahkiin was surprised, but then again he was a Nord, and all Nord's are skilled fighters, peasants to Jarls. The Draugr leaned back and shouted, "Fus Ro Dah!"

The entire building shook, the Jarl was flung across his hall, landing at the Dragonborn's feet; he tilted his head up and gave a Nordic smile, "Praise the gods above!"

Dovahkiin lowered his hand to the aging Jarl, "Dragonborn, thank you for arriving, and not a minute too soon."

"Are you okay, Jarl?"

"Gods damnit, I'm not okay, my entire town is being sacked but these godforsaken bastards!"

Noticing that the Draugr were coming towards the Jarl, the Dragonborn pushed him aside and alit the Draugr with the fire streaming from his hand. The sounds were unearthly; they screamed and moaned in pain.

He unsheathed his daedric blade and lodged it into the Draugr's head, cracking it, the second Draugr noticed this and jumped towards his enemy, but soon found a sword stuck in its belly. The remaining Draugr tried attacking the Dragonborn but with great ferocity, the Dragonborn struck down the undead with single swipes of his blade and even the most basic magic.

Over a dozen dead Draugr surrounded the Dragonborn, killed once more, the Jarl was impressed at his allies' skill with the blade and magic, "You have skill Dragonborn, but then I shouldn't be surprised, you bear the heart of a true Nord and a Dragon nonetheless."

He wiped the blood from his face, and gave a grin, "Thank you Jarl, but I am a Nord as you."

Back at the Companion Hall, Aela was shocked to find a female, High Elf Necromancy in a heated combat with the Circle. She raised her arm and began torturing the circle members, who were now in their werewolf forms.

With a carefully time arrow, Aela managed to shoot the Necromancy in the knee, enraged, the werewolf's leaped on the High Elf, ripping her apart. Dragonborn got there just in time, but not before he witnessed the brutality.

Outside, the remaining undead were being routed, but the Dragonborn was curious, _"Why did the undead attack Whiterun?" _

Several hours had passed, Whiterun was saved from the undead, but for most people it will never be the same, the dark secret of the companions were revealed to some civilians, the circle members were werewolf's, creatures of the night. While grateful, the people were now suspicious of the Circles intentions.

More Imperial forces soon came; the Nords blamed the Thalmor for the near destruction of Whiterun, but in reality it was someone else, leading the fight against the mortals. The battle may have been won and over, but Aela remained out of sight, he was indeed curious were she could have disappeared, and so the Dragonborn went to her quarters.

As he slowly entered the huntress' quarters, he noticed she was on her knees, praying near a hidden daedric statue, the statue was of Hircine, the lord of hunting and games.

"Well, this isn't much of a surprise."

Unfazed, Aela continued praying, "Is there a problem Harbinger?"

"You do know daedric worshipping is illegal, don't you?"

Aela frowned upon this and sighed heavily, "I praise who I want, were I want, and so what if I praise Hircine, doesn't mean I don't praise Talos or any of the divines as well, as long as the daedric lords are… sensible."

A large grin swooped across the Dovahkiin's face, "So, I guess that means Sheogorath is off the list, correct?"

Aela just gave a chuckle, now finished with her mediation; she stood up, coming face to face with the Dragonborn, "I don't listen to any pointy eared mild-drinkers, they can come and try to force me to stop who I worship."

"Yes, Thalmor are a bunch of children, playing with tools and weapons beyond their understanding."

Aela could agree more, but the talk of worship got her thinking, "Would you mind worshipping me?"

His eyes followed Aela's hands and smiled, "Well, I suppose I could worship you."

"How about now?"

Faint voices could be heard from above, it was a well-known custom to celebrate in the hall, with mead and meat, but the huntress and Dragonborn were thinking of other ways to celebrate. As the Dragonborn started slowly kissing Aela's neck, a loud knock was heard, "Harbinger? Aela?"

It was Farkas, who was wondering where the two could have gotten, Aela placed her finger on Dovahkiin's lips, keeping him quite, "Shh, we wait until Ice brain leaves."

As the footsteps walked off, the Dragonborn had plans of his own, "This quarter, it's tiny… how about you come to my quarters, the big and better looking quarters?"

"I cannot think of anything better than that, my harbinger."

From atop, the companions were cheering and exchanging stories, of how many undead they killed or how many lives they saved, boasting of their accomplishments. Farkas wondered were the duo could have gotten, but soon his thoughts turned to something else, he wasn't the smartest of Nords.

In the Harbingers quarters, Aela and Dovahkiin were celebrating in their own way, having rough love, and forgetting any problems which may be occurring from atop. The two knew that they would soon meet the Vampires head on, but now wasn't the time to think, but to celebrate.

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**Next chapter will have to wait for a while, will be working on my Fallout stories as well as playing Assassins Creed 3, won't have any time to work on this, hope this chapter was better than the prior.**


	5. Chapter 5

**THE WOLF EMPRESS**

**This is a very long chapter, three thousand plus words, not only the biggest chapter in this story but in all my stories. Hopefully I didn't overdo this, enjoy, the next few chapters will be similar to this one, way longer than the prior.**

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Eerie and freakish whispering awoke the Dovahkiin, but he awoke to an unknown place, a dark abyss, no walls or a path just complete and utter pitch black darkness which led to no end. A figure was slowly approaching, he couldn't see its face but the shape was humanlike, more or less, as he reached for his blade he found nothing, the Dragonborn was now once in his lifetime actually afraid.

"Weapon less? Damn it all!"

He couldn't tell if this was a dream or if he was in a spiritual plane, but as the figure moved even closer, it's face was clouded in a fog.

"What? What are you?"

Dovahkiin found himself stiffened, unable to move any of his limbs, not one bit, the figure violently gripped the Dragonborn's neck, squeezing it tightly. Unable to release himself from the grip he just stood there, ferociously glaring at the spirit or mirage.

It leaned over and whispered dark words into the Dragonborn's ears, it was indistinct whispering; he noticed a large cut across his neck, gushing out large amounts of blood. He managed to decode some of the gurgle sounds into words.

"Awaken... now!"

He found himself at the edge of the bed, panting heavily and sweating immensely, he wasn't sure if what he experienced was real or a Daedric Lord messing with his mind. Next to him was Aela, lying on her side completely naked, sleeping quietly, her sleeping form was so much different to her awaken form, and yet she was still a beautiful and deadly sight.

In a bold attempt, he moved his fingers across the Huntress' body, sliding his hand from the sides of her hips to her a back, but even though she was a sleep, she was still vigilant. She opened her eyes, giving a questionable glare, "W-What are doing?"

Unafraid, he still touched her shoulders and gave a single chuckle, "Well, I'm admiring your body, why, is there a problem?"

Aela sat up and stared at the Nord sitting beside him, her Wolf like eyes did the most of the speaking, she was a pure and a strong Nordic woman, many titles came to his mind, "Goddess of Hunting, Warrior Princess, Wolf Empress and a Nordic Queen."

The Harbingers Quarters were warm, a fitting setting, considering Skyrim was an everlasting coldness, a harsh weather whether winter of summer. Crackling sounds erupted from the fireplace, all was quite from the central room above, the celebration was long over. As the duo were about to converse, Farkas barged in unexpectedly, catching a quick glimpse at Aela's naked body, but in quick speed, covered herself with the linen sheets.

Dovahkiin could see the anger in Aela's eyes, "Don't you knock ice brain?!"

Farkas' mouth was sewn shut; it took violent shaking of his head to turn his attention to the Dragonborn. Aela interrupted before Farkas could even open his mouth, "You should have adverted your eyes, what never seen a true Nord woman?"

Dovahkiin tapped the frightened Nords shoulder, guiding him outside the quarters, "Farkas, has something happened?"

"The Jarl called for you, Vilkas will explain it in more detail, I'm no good with this kind of thing, Vilkas is upstairs, stuffing his face no doubt."

Farkas hastily swirled off, praying that he didn't run into Aela again, it was a well known fact that Aela scared off many men, especially Farkas.

The Dragonborn walked back into the quarters, trying not to laugh hysterically, the Dragonborn was the only man alive that she respected and loved, being perhaps the only man with the privilege of touching and admiring her body, let alone having a decent conversation with her. Inside, Aela was standing by the fireplace, her mind wandering about many things, but she was happy to be by the Dragonborn's side, to be his love, but she couldn't help think some dark force was working against them, it was the only thing that frightened her, but she refused to tell anyone, especially the one person she refused to lose, Dovahkiin. She lost too many people in her life, her mother and father, and close friends and allies, Kodlak and Skjor being her close friends.

The smile on the Dragonborn's face couldn't be wiped, he had to tease Aela, "Don't you think you are being too harsh too Farkas?"

Aela frowned and shrugged her arms, "Harsh? To Ice Brain? Farkas doesn't get insulted; I've seen some skeevers that have more brains than that Nord."

"Well, he's a good warrior nether less, perhaps even better than his brother."

"Can't argue with you there, what did Ice brain want anyway?"

The Dragonborn gave a wink to Aela and chuckled, "Get dressed and I'll explain on the way."

As he turned Aela gripped Dovahkiin's wrist and pulled him towards her, kissing him passionately, licking his and her lips afterwards, "Just remember, if you ever become a milk-drinker, I'll personally end you, okay?"

"I don't doubt that, I promise I'll never become a milk-drinker."

"Well, that's good."

Fully clothed and ready in her Nordic armour, Aela followed her love; Dovahkiin grabbed a green apple from a plate on the table, taking a large bite out of it. The two came across several unconscious companions snoring quietly on the floor, no doubt knocked out by the strong Nordic mead. The Dragonborn gave a small kick to one of the companions' heel, the only response he received was grumbling and random mumbling, Aela sighed heavily, "Leave the milk-drinkers alone, just let them sleep it off."

Dovahkiin heeded the huntress and stepped over the companions, being careful not to step onto the shield brothers and sisters. In the main hall, Vilkas was the only one unaffected by the mead, no doubt by the wolf blood within him. He was sitting by the table by himself, taking a big bite off a sheep's leg, licking the gravy off his fingers, before wiping his lips with his hands.

Aela gave a disgusting growl, "Gods, can you be any more disgusting?"

The companions' servant approached the Dragonborn, who was still known as the Harbinger to the companions, she had hoped to tend to Aela and Dovahkiin, "Good morning harbinger, Huntress, is there anything I can get you?"

The duo shook their heads and stared back at Vilkas, who was busy enjoying the food and mead around him to even pay any attention.

Aela clicked her fingers and whistled trying to get the attention Vilkas, "No, we are here to see Vilkas, who seems not to be paying any attention at the moment, who seems to enjoy stuffing his face with food and mead."

Vilkas growled back at Aela angrily before guzzling down more mead from a tankard, "Harbinger, here to see me about the Jarls message I wager."

Vilkas handed a scroll to the Dovahkiin; the Jarls sign was embedded onto the front of the scroll, a similar sign as the one on the Whiterun flag. Opening it, he skimmed through it, before closing the scroll immediately.

Aela was getting annoyed, she wasn't one to be patient outside of a hunt, "Well... out with it, what did it say?"

"The Jarl suspects the vampires are holed up in the mountains South of Whiterun, past a newly built village. He believes these vampires were behind the attack of Whiterun, he also believes that these vampires have some ties to the Thalmor Embassy, and a reformed Silver Hand group, which may cause some problems, we also have to meet a nameless contact."

Aela muttered curses in both the Nordic and Daedric tongues, "Bastards! The whole lot of them!"

Aela clenched her fists and rushed outside, annoyed that even though Dovahkiin and her slaughtered all or most of the Silver Hand , avenging Kodlak, the former Harbinger, and Skjor, both close yet long deceased friends, a reformed group was created.

Dovahkiin knew what was troubling Aela, and he too wanted to stop the murders that the Silver Hand was committing, but he was more worried about the Thalmor, he couldn't the safety of Whiterun, the Companions and the Nords overall.

"Vilkas, eat up, suit up and get your brother, you, Farkas, Aela and I will personally see to this matter, I'm just worried about stirring up trouble with the Thalmor, we leave in an hour in a half, got it?"

Vilkas banged on the table and laughed, "Yes Harbinger, I can't wait to impale some Silver Hand bastards, but your right about the Thalmor, don't get me wrong, nothing would give me more pleasure than to put those haughty, uptight High Elves in their place, but we can't risk it. Those tall pointy eared milk-drinkers will likely come after "True Nords".

Dovahkiin scratched his chin and nodded, "You don't seem to have a high opinion on High Elves, what about Dark Elves and Wood Elves?"

Vilkas moved his hand from side to side, "Eh, better than High Elves, I suppose, and in saying that, I better get prepared, I'm going to bring the biggest Axe I can find, those Vampires and Silver Hand will pay for what they did to my brethren, for Kodlak, and for all those who stood against the weaklings."

Dovahkiin was surprised, but tapped his brother's arm and smiled, "We'll get rid of them all, we'll get our payback, go get ready, I'll get Aela, meet us at the front of the tavern at this… village."

The Nord stood up, and stretched his arms, nodding and heading into town to find his brother, who was sure to be at the tavern "Yes Harbinger, oh and don't take too long."

Out in the courtyard, Aela was training by herself, using her short blade with her shield, cutting down several of the training dummies around her, with single swipes of her sword. Dovahkiin was standing out of Aela's sight, but spied on her, watching the Huntress move with grace and speed. After cutting down the last dummy, she quickly turned to Dovahkiin's direction, giving a smile.

Returning a smile he drew two blades, one long and one short, swinging them and pointing them towards Aela, "Ready my beautiful Huntress?"

Aela scoffed and chuckled, "Of course I am, better than you are, Dovahkiin."

The duo entered the small combat area and before starting exchanged a couple of friendly taunts. Aela was the first to strike, but as soon as she attacked, she rolled over behind the Dragonborn and kicked his leg, as he bended over she laughed, "I thought you were Dragonborn, you can do better than that, correct?"

Blows and slashes were exchanged and deflected, the sound of steel banging on her shield and sword was pleasurable experience for them both, they were both on equal ground, he preferred heavy swipes of his two blades while she used fast and quick slashes. The two tipped one another and as the two collapsed to the floor, he found himself on top her, their heavy panting was followed by heavy sweating. She was aroused by his breath, his god like Dragon breath, she shivered each time he breathed onto her face, their lips were just a few millimetres away from each other.

They stood up and grabbed their weaponry, before sprinting out of the front gates, almost as if this was a competition, outside and in the forest he followed her quickly but she was way faster than he could ever hope, but he heard sounds.

The Dragonborn halted, he heard the howls of three maybe four wolves, he gripped the hilt of his blade, but was almost immediately stopped by Aela. The dominant alpha wolf sniffed the air and ground around the huntress, the Dragonborn was getting anxious around the wolves. Aela dropped to one knee, staring eye to eye with the alpha; the Dragonborn took a step forward, "What are you doing?"

Aela growled back to Dovahkiin, "Quiet!"

The wolf gave a bow and made a sound, as if it were guarantying it wouldn't dare attack. It moved up to her, with curiosity, flinching each time Aela blinked, but it finally took the courage to get to arms length, the Nordic Huntress put out her hand without any fear. The wolf took a tiny lick at the tips of her fingers, and in doing so, it turned and ran away, glancing back once, and bowing for a second time, before disappearing into the forest with its pack.

"Wolf Empress indeed," he thought to himself.

Aela inhaled in and exhaled out very loudly, oblivious that Dovahkiin saw the whole thing transpire, he could see sadness in her eyes, a sadness he had yet to see, but also anger, "You seem angry, why is that?"

Aela didn't say anything but instead focused on what was at hand, "Come, this village is not that far."

From that movement on it was complete silence, even the wind and nature was silent, their footsteps were quiet and the only thing they could hear. Something was eating away at the Dragonborn, as his pace slowed she turned and gave a questionable look, "What's the hold up?"

"This is probably going to bite me back, and I'm going to regret asking, but there is a rumour going around the Hall, that you and Skjor were lovers before his death, is this true?"

The Huntress quickly dismissed this rumour, "Absolutely not! Nonsense! The whole lot of it, why have you been listening to the Njada Stonearm, the recruits and new meat?"

"I'm just curious, that is all, you two seemed... close."

Aela looked agitated, and frowned, "Gods, you are a curious one, you are acting like the new recruits coming in, spreading lies and rumours. I'm going to say this for the hundredth time, no Skjor and I were not lovers, we were brethren, blood brethren, he was like the brother I've never had, as I was this sister he always wanted. He was a fine comrade, a good friend, and a brother, nothing more and nothing less, especially not a lover for Hircine's sake."

Dovahkiin still wasn't convinced, he was stubborn that way, and curious, especially for a Nord who preferred to fight and kill before asking questions, "Well, how do you suppose these rumours came to be then?"

She was now getting rather very annoyed, "Again? Look... you remember when we took you into the circle, him and I? Well, we hunted together, in our beast form, Kodak forbade this, but we kept hunting the godless Silver Hand, until you came, and you know the rest, Skjor died for what he believed in. But he was like most Nord men, spent most of his coin on cheap whores and cheap mead, he was as vile as any over man in the Companion Hall, Hircine rest his spirit. Not an ideal man for me or many true Nordic women, but I respected him as a Shield-Brother; he was nothing more especially not a lover. Gods! That is last time I explain myself to anyone, great Hircine, I never thought you were one to get jealous."

The Dragonborn believed Aela, but was quiet insulted as she called him jealous, and he was indeed not a jealous Nord, "Jealous? Me? Of course not, I was just curious; it's all the fresh meat would talk about back home."

Aela gave a chuckled and placed her hand on her loves shoulder, "Well as Harbinger you should stop them from spreading false rumours, and what I said before, about Nordic men being vile and disgusting, well there is one that exceeds any Nord."

"Oh really, and who might that be I wonder?"

Aela was a tall Nord, standing on par with Dovahkiin, she slowly grabbed the back of his head and pulled him towards her, their noses touching, "This may be the only time we get to this, but I want to marry you right here, right now."

He was puzzled he didn't know how it would work, "How? We are not in a temple."

The Huntress confirmed him that this was proper, "The Nords of old would do this, exchanging words and pledging themselves to the one they believed was their soul love, to be together in life and in death, in the mortal plane and in the hunting grounds in Hircine's plane. I'll start, when I first met you and when you stepped into our halls, you were nothing but a milk-drinker, but in time you proves yourself to be a Nord of true heart and spirit, the only man who I would respect and in turn, fall in love with, you are unlike any man I've met, strong, wise, yet headstrong and passionate, you saved my life countless times, and I would like nothing more but to spend the last of my days with the Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn, my love."

He was surprised, he just stared into her eyes, and saw happiness, but her face was still just as serious as always, "Aela, no woman can compare to you, a woman after my own heart, you are more than a woman, you a goddess, a warrior princess, a wolf empress, and finally my love, I too want to spend my days by your side hunting, fighting, loving beside one another."

Aela finally gave a smile, a smile that pierced him immediately, "Then it's settled, you and I, together, for eternity, I... love you, but when this is all over I deserve a... reward."

The two Nords moved back, a large grin appeared on the Dragonborn's face, "Reward, what kind of reward?"

Hunger could be felt on both of their breaths, his breath aroused her completely, he could see it, she moaned each time he exhaled out, heat filled her body and she wanted him within her for another time, she couldn't get enough of him, "Gods, his breath is so intoxicating, I can feel his godly strength from just his breath, great Hircine, I want him inside of me, right now!"

She said it out loud, "I want you inside of me, right now!"

Just over yonder was the village, and a empty stable, just hay, she pointed to the stable with her eyes, his eyes focused onto the stable, "Just for a few minutes, okay?"

Aela said nothing but just gnawed at his lips, before being lifted and fairly soon placed onto a clean haystack, she removed his unique armour and as he did with hers, the two moaning and panting as they sealed the promise they just announced a few moments back. They ensured they were quick, but not before losing themselves to the moment.

Ten minutes past and the two finally finished another sequence of love, as the two put back on their amour, Aela searched for her missing boot, she turned to Dovahkiin who was holding her light boot, "Looking for this my Wolf Empress?"

Aela smiled and moved back her red hair, the tattoos on her face showing their age, "Yes my lord."

He reached out for her bare foot, Aela's eyes gleaming in anticipation of the touch, she closed her eyes and waited for the touch, as she was touched she moaned slightly, before he placed the boot on her left foot.

She opened her eyes and shivered, not because of the coldness, but because of something else, something that came from within, love. Dovahkiin smiled and kissed the Huntress' thighs, "Sealing the deal, I know how the ritual works I was just pretending not to know, you are beautiful, more beautiful than any Nord and Elf out there, even more beautiful than any goddess."

Aela laughed truly for the first time in many years, "Ooh, looks like we have a charmer, just make sure you don't become a milk-drinker."

He stood up from the haystack lifting Aela with him, with such ease, "I promise; now what you say we go find Farkas and Vilkas? I bet they must be waiting."

Aela nodded and two headed to the main tavern of the village, were the two Nords were most likely drinking away on mead and eyeing some woman, as the two entered the tavern, they noticed that this wasn't your typical Nord village, but it was rather a newly built elf village, containing mostly Dark Elf's with small pockets of Wood Elf's.

The two brothers were sitting at a table, watching the Dark Elf maiden play her harp and singing, they turned their attention to Aela and Dovahkiin, "Gods! Were the hell were you two?, we've been waiting here for hours."

Aela was the one to respond, "We... came upon a pack of wolves."

Farkas was too busy watching the young dark elf moving her hips, his attention was placed on some parts of her body. The Dark Elf girl couldn't be more than eighteen years of age, but that didn't stop her from giving a wink and blowing a kiss to Farkas. It was a well known fact that many Dark Elf woman, when they come of age, they become very sensual, and have many sexual partners during that time of their age, especially others races, Nords being the ones Dark Elf's woman desire the most. While Vilkas and Dovahkiin were not interested, Farkas was indeed interested; Aela shook her head and walked behind Farkas.

She slapped him over the head, he turned to her and blinked curiously, "Oh, Aela, is there something you want?, I'm kind of busy."

Aela sighed heavily, "Look, I don't care what you do, but first we have to find this contact, the Jarl said he would be in here somewhere, also don't you know that most Dark Elf woman are like that in the first place?"

Farkas gave an interesting chuckle, "Yeah I heard about that, which is why I love Dark Elf's, among other things."

Vilkas placed his palm on his face and shook his head sighing heavily, "This is my brother?"

Behind the Nords and man in cloak whispered, trying to get the attention of the Circle members, "Psst! Behind you lads and beautiful lady."

As the four turned to the man, he removed his cloak and it was revealed that is was the one and only, Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness. In a snap of his fingers, two tall woman appeared, one was fully suited in gold, standing very tall and proud, taller than any Nord man or High Elf, the second was suited in black, shorter than the first, yet had a fierce look on her face. On first inspection they looked like High Elves and Dark Elves respectably, however, the four soon released they were not Elves, but rather Daedra.

The four Nords stood and sat there in disbelief, but the Dovahkiin already met Sheogorath a while back, but was surprised to find a Daedric Lord sitting right in front of them, with his entourage and bodyguards, "Sheogorath?"

He chucked his staff into the air and caught it as it fell, laughed hysterically, "Aye lad, the one and only, the mighty Sheogorath at your service."

Dovahkiin was the first to uncover why he was here, he gave a smile and crossed his arms, "You are our contact, aren't you?"

Sheogorath stood up and bowed, "Of course, I come here to help you dear old friend, Dovahkiin or Dragonborn if you prefer, aye, I come to you so I can help... with you problem."

Aela and the two brothers turned their heads to Dovahkiin and Sheogorath and gave a confused look, Aela was the one to say it, "What?!"

Dovahkiin shrugged his shoulders and sighed heavily, "Long story."

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**As said before this chapter is the longest chapter I have ever written, I hope I didn't make too many mistakes, next chapter may take a while, hope you this, even if it was a bit too long in my opinion I put Sheogorath in because he is my all-time favourite Elder Scrolls character, I loved meeting him in Skyrim, that was one of my highlights, too bad it was so shot. Also, I personally think that Aela and Skjor didn't have a "thing" I think they just hunted in their wolf form because it was forbidden, it's obvious only Dovahkiin can have her ha-ha. I might remove some things or I might leave it depending were things go from here, reviews would be greatly appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**REALM OF MADNESS**

**Well I'm back, and writing more chapters for my Skyrim story, it was so bloody hot here down under, so it took a while to update, a poor excuse but an excuse nether less, I digress, I hope this chapter is enjoyable as the last.**

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Deafened and in the void, the Dragonborn was in an unknown place, he had no idea how he got there, but he felt severely weakened, as if the dragon spirit within him started fading away from his body. A voice began talking in many languages, ancient elven, ancient Nordic before finally finding the language of men. The voice transformed into a black shadow, faceless and without any shape, it finally transformed into a being, the emperor of old, Talos himself.

Dovahkiin didn't know whether this was Talos or some illusion created from his mind, "Are you real?"

"I am what I am, real, imagined, and illusion, it is yours to decide."

Dovahkiin kept quiet, unafraid nut unknown how to present himself to the emperor that both mortals, daedra and gods alike know very well. The one thing that came to mind was a bow, Talos however interrupted the bow.

"My child, it is I who should bow to you."

"I-I don't know what you mean."

"My blood flows through your veins, the last true descendant of mine. Not like those pretenders on the throne, they don't deserve the crown, you on the other hand... well do."

Dovahkiin chuckled and shook his head, "You must be mistaken my lord, I am not of Septim blood, trust me, I would know, I am the son of a blacksmith and soldier, good people and strong willed, but not royalty, unlike you, my name and purpose will be forgotten in history."

Talos placed his hand on Dovahkiin's shoulder, "No, you are so wrong, you have people that rely on you, your brethren, your beautiful and strong wife, they await your arrival, they need you, she needs you, never forget that my child."

"Forgive me for speaking out of line, I'm just tired of being dragged into ancient conflicts."

"Do not apologise, for you have nothing to apologise for, now hold out your hands my son."

Heeding his words, Dovahkiin held out his hands, a burning hot item was placed in the centre of his hands. It burned his hands, the pain was excruciating but seemed to cool down in a matter of seconds. The object was a fine piece of jewellery, a necklace unlike any other. It was as if the necklace itself was alive, it glowed in a bright red colour, almost blinding.

"Take this pendant, a go forth and demonstrate your position as the Dragonborn, the true Emperor of Tamriel and saviour of mortal kind."

"This... amulet, it's of ancient lineage."

Talos placed a fist over his heart and Dovahkiin's heart, "You and I are family, we have the blood and soul of a dragon, this may not be the original pendant, but it is yours, it will strengthen you, and your descendants."

The black void turned to a white bright light, Dovahkiin heard the wind rustling and a bird singing a disturbing song near him. It was hard for him to open his eyes, but found the strength to do so, as he did, he say a tiny blue bird dancing around him, before it began pecking at his head.

"Arghh! Hey, hey! Knock it off!"

The bird moved back and forth, chirping uncontrollably, he also felt a hard and very hot object tucked into his right hand. As soon as he found his bearings, he immediately took a quick glimpse at the object. It was the same amulet from his vision, the amulet was real and not an illusion.

Beside him was lying Farkas, his good friend, sleeping contently in the long grass, "Wake up! Come on Farkas! Get your bloody arse up!"

Farkas leapt in the air, still half asleep, "Wha-what's going on?"

"Well, looks like we are in a different realm, a daedric realm I'll wager."

The blue bird appeared again, perching up high in a weird looking tree, calling out to the two, it flew down and hovered around the two, pecking them to get their attention.

The Dragonborn waved his arm around, he now knew the bird wanted them to follow it, "I suppose we'll follow the bird."

"Could be a trap?"

"Do you have a better plan?"

Farkas shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, the two followed the bird, but found it hard to walk, it was as if they had slept for a week, maybe even a month, but they knew it was impossible.

The bird screeched loudly, shaking its head, annoying Farkas, "Easy there, we are going as fast as we can you annoying little thing."

They followed the bird for what seemed like hours, it was difficult for them, the weather here was hot, nothing like the lands were they came from where the temperature usually dropped to freezing temperatures. The sky here was beautiful nether less, glistening in a beautiful golden colour.

Dovahkiin constantly thought to himself during their trek in the forest, "How did we get here? How long were we asleep?"

The only thing he remembered was being in an inn with Farkas, Vilkas and Aela, meeting up with Sheogorath, after conversing with the daedric lord of madness, it all tuned white, and that was when he had the vision, and somehow found himself in the realm of madness with Farkas. He knew that Aela was in Skyrim though, he could sense her, but he wondered by Sheogorath hadn't appeared yet.

They finally found their destination in the middle of the odd looking forest, a portal lied in the middle, the bird flew into the violet portal and vanished. The Dragonborn knew this was the only way to get to Sheogorath, he turned to Farkas and gave a curved smile, "Well... shall we?"

As the two entered the portal they found themselves teleported to a throne room and sitting at the throne was the one and only lord of the realm, Sheogorath. He clapped and laughed merrily, the blue bird perching on his shoulder, chattering around its master.

"Welcome! Welcome lads! I see you met my small friend, I feel like we are going to be great friends."

Dovahkiin was curious to why he brought them here, he had to ask, "Sheogorath, why bring us here?"

"Ah! I watched yer fight with that bloody dragon o' yours, Alduin I believe his name was, Haskill go on tell them."

Haskill, a balding man cleared his throat before talking, "Yes, it's true, my lord watched your battle with that most dreadful creature."

Sheogorath kicked his legs in the air, giggling, "Ha! You gave that reptilian bastard a good thrashing, I never like him, I was rooting for you all the way! Alduin, he really was a piece of work, he was arrogant, stubborn, annoying and extremely dull. Let's face it, he probably never even brushed his teeth. Wait... neither do I, ah tis' a sad day for a god such as myself."

Dovahkiin approached the mad god, being less than subtle, "So... what do want with us?"

A woman's voice entered the room, like an invisible force, "His power knows no limit, He is the cornerstone of madness. He is Sheogorath, Prince of Madness, the Mad God, He is Madness itself."

A black raven flew down behind Sheogorath and took form of a tall, extremely beautiful, stunning and alluring young woman. She stood beside Sheogorath and stood at least a good four inches taller than him, ravens' cries could be heard near her, her finger and toenails were ebony colour, black roses tangled down her obsidian hair. She was hypnotising, as she moved behind Sheogorath, she wrapped her arms around him, caressing his chest. Her daedric eyes similar to all daedra, which had a look which couldn't be resisted by any mortal, those silver and glass like eyes, she turned to him and spoke, almost ignoring her surroundings and all those in it, "Madness and shadow, a perfect combination, wouldn't you say my dear?"

Sheogorath gave a chuckle and stoked his beard, "Indeed."

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your new friends?"

"Gentleman, welcome my esteemed, gorgeous friend, Nocturnal, Queen of the shadows, isn't she beautiful?"

Nocturnal turned to Dovahkiin, she immediately recognised him, "We meet again, Dovahkiin."

Sheogorath threw his arms into the air, "Ah! I see you two have already met, that's good, no, it's bloody brilliant!"

Nocturnal released herself from Sheogorath, chuckling, "I have to go Sheogorath, we will meet again, very soon, you too Dovahkiin and... friend."

Farkas sighed, he hated been in the dark when it came around, so spoke up, "My name is Farkas my lady"

"Farkas, what a gentleman."

Nocturnal moved her fingers across Sheogorath's cheeks and chin, stroking his white beard for him, her black robe was very revealing, and exposed many parts of her snow like skin. She dispersed into the shadows, into her domain, leaving the men to talk.

Sheogorath kissed his fingers and gave a wave with his right hand, "Uh my raven beauty, goodbye darling, I'll meet you again, very soon."

Haskill gave a cough to get Sheogorath's attention, "My Lord, what about our two quests?"

"Lads, you better get some shut eye, we have a very important day tomorrow."

Dovahkiin was already confused, "Wait, what are we doing tomorrow?"

Sheogorath placed a finger on his lips and sighed, "I wish I could tell yer lad, I really do, but it would be much better if I left it as a surprise."

Dovahkiin sighed and shook his head, "Fine, does time flow differently in your realm."

"I'm just yanking your chain, tomorrow, you will face against Mehrunes Dagon's champion, and you my young friend, the dragonborn will be my champion. Also, yes, time does flow differently in my realm, that don't call it the realm of madness for no reason, one day in here is around one month on your mortal plane."

Dovahkiin knew it, he felt weird as soon as he awoke on this realm, a month would have already passed back in Skyrim, "Perfect, just perfect."

"Haskill, be a good lad and show these two there rooms, I have some very important daedric business to attend, well, it's all mad, really mad. Ta! I'll see you two tomorrow!"

As Sheogorath walked off into the night, Dovahkiin and Farkas followed Haskill to their rooms. As the Nords looked up at the night sky, they found out how beautiful this realm really was, it gleamed in a violet colour, as opposed to the golden sky in the morning and afternoon.

Haskill finally brought them to their separate rooms, eager to leave the Nords and attend his own business, "Good night and remember that my lord Sheogorath needs you awaken early tomorrow, please, do not disappoint him."

As the door closed in front of him, Dovahkiin noticed the lavish, royal like bedroom, the linen and silk was rich, the bed linen was of the rich colour red, it immediately reminded him of Aela's red hair, he missed her, she was his love, his wife, and he was very far away from her, he wanted to be with her more than anything, but Sheogorath, as mad as he was, he could really help him defeat the darkness which would surely arrive.

He threw himself down on the bed, he took a deep breath and could smell the scent of lavender and a touch of rose, he closed his eyes and thought of Aela, clenching onto his new pendant, darkness finally took him.

Back in Skyrim, the Companions were near the borders of Hammerfell and High Rock, hoping to get some allies from the Redguard and Breton guilds, the new temporary advisor for the companions Aela made her way up the high snowy mountains, leaving the companions down at camp below.

She was resting on the edge of the rocky slopes of the mountain, when she heard a strange flapping of wings and then a raspy voice, "Why do you weep little one?"

She looked up at the sound of the voice and noticed a dragon sitting in front of her, the same dragon which helped her husband stop the end of the world, it was Paarthurnax, Aela wiped the tears off her face and kept a strong face, "Why are you here?"

"I heard the call of dragons, baby dragons to be precise."

Aela gasped and placed her hands over her stomach, "Y-You must have been mistaken."

The dragon chuckled, "I never make mistakes, I have been around for many years young one."

"The one you are looking for, Dovahkiin, my husband, he isn't here, he is in another realm, he's been gone for about a month, I... have no idea when he'll be back."

"What makes you think I was looking for Dovahkiin? No, I hardly even sense the Dovahkiin, he is not the one I sensed, but others, the call of baby dragons."

Aela stood up straight and proud, turning around without a pause, the dragon tried to stop her, "Hold still mortal!"

Her hands reached back down to her stomach, she inhaled deeply before finally exhaling back out, she guarded herself from the dragon, and almost anyone else. The dragon listened closely before speaking up, "There it is again, the call of dragons, a cry almost, very powerful too as I can sense it."

Aela knew that the dragon has a close connection to her husband, so she had to ask, "Will he be back?"

"Of course, do not fear little one, your husband is well, as well as the companion that follows him, he too misses you, and I'm sure he'll be back very soon, do not give hope, you two have a strong connection to one another."

Aela knew it was time for her to rest, but couldn't help think about her husband, "I'm tired, when my husband returns, I'll tell him you called for him."

Meanwhile in Sheogorath's realm, Nocturnal transported the sleeping Dovahkiin yet again into the same dim place, a void, the dimness soon disappeared and in its place tall trees appeared, and a familiar breeze soon followed, it was his homeland, it was Skyrim. The daedric lord also disappeared, but she was still there somehow lodged into his head. In the clear distance were two figures, one tall, masculine with broad shoulders and the other a smaller, petite and no taller than an average Nords led height.

Dovahkin moved closer with curiosity, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two, he himself felt different, as if he was there and also wasn't, it was hard to describe, but he felt more like a shadow.

The large man leaned down to the girl and chuckled, pulling out his bow "No, no my little wolf, you hold a bow like this, okay?"

"Like this?" the girl tugged at her short bow in her hands.

"Yeah, like that, keep it up and you might amount to something."

She smiled, stating into the man's eyes, her eyes as wild as his, "Thank you father."

It was her hair that stood out though, it was a dark rose colour, her face was still fresh, small freckles still visible. She seemed to adore her father very much, and vice versa, she took all his knowledge to heart. It didn't take the Dragonborn long to realise who this girl was, as he looked closer into those eyes, those powerful and ferocious pale blue eyes, he knew it was Aela, but as a child.

He also realised they couldn't see him, as if he was an invisible force watching over them, "Wait, can they see me?"

Nocturnal's voice entered his mind, "No, they cannot see you, here you are nothing, a mirage, a ghost, nothing more than a speck of light."

"What do I do?"

"Well nothing, just... observe and learn, enlighten yourself, you would be surprised at what you can learn," in saying that, yet again her voice vanished.

The young Aela and her father slowly and quietly sneaked through the woods, Dovahkiin followed from behind, eager to see what would happen next. Noticing Aela was making too much noise, her father halted her advance, demonstrating and explaining what she was doing incorrect, "You have to be light on your feet, a predators strongest weapon is not their claws or teeth, or even these tools, it is their feet."

She looked down at her feet and dug up the snow with the tip of her boot, "I'm sorry father."

"Don't be sorry, I just want my daughter to become the best of the best. Just remember that your strongest weapons are your feet, be the predator, be a ghost, and remember to leave no traces."

They continued sneaking in the forest, until they upon their first beast, "Shh, look a young deer, go on, take your shot, remember what I taught you, concentrate on your breathing."

Aela steadily grabbed a hold of her short bow, aiming at the deer, she took a deep breath and let go of the arrow, amazingly the arrow curved, hitting the deer directly in its eyes, it dropped dead almost immediately.

Her father was even more surprised than Aela, it was the first time he had seen something like this, "So the student becomes the master, beginners luck."

"Admit it father, your just too good of a teacher."

"That must be it," he patted his daughter on his head before walking up to the fallen deer, "Nice shot! Shall I do the honours of skinning it, or do you want to, eh?"

Aela slowly reached to her hunting knife which was given to her by her father as a gift, and began skinning the animal, it was her first time too. After they finished with the animal, they washed the blood off from their hands near a creek.

Her father stood and watched his daughter and only child, it was obvious that she was his pride and joy, she was very dear to him and wanted to pass over all of his knowledge to her, "Aela?"

"Mmm?"

"Night will fall very soon, let's go home."

Their homestead was deep in the mountains, protected by many forests and rocky passages, it was close to the Cyroldil border too, meaning it was in a region close to trade an skin and meat, the Empire never bothered them and luckily enough the bandits and raiders never discovered the homestead, it was a haven. A large house stood near the edge, a mill and forgery were nearby were Aela's father was able to work when he was not hunting or on a companion quest. The house only had three people in it, Aela, her father and mother.

Aela excused herself to her father, who was readying himself at the forge, she would do this often, officially she was too young to join with her parents, so she would venture forth into the world by herself. Her mother was a respected huntress in the companions and her father, who was also a proud companion, skilled blacksmith, woodcutter and obviously a very good hunter, unlike his wife however, as soon as he achieved to get into the circle, his duties became somewhat easier.

Aela loved her father, but she always dreamed of being like her mother, always out on an adventure, seeing the known world with her two own eyes, "When's mother coming home?"

"Tonight perhaps, out on an important quest as always, why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"Don't wonder too far!"

"Okay father, I won't, I promise."

Dovahkiin followed her, wondering what she could possibly do in the middle of nowhere, after a short walk she found herself at a grove, surrounded by wolves and their cubs. Instead of defending their cubs, and attacking Aela, they greeted her as she was their very own child. The cubs encircling her, sniffing her and taking a general interest in Aeala. She picked up the smallest cub and scratched the top of its head.

Nocturnal's voice appeared for another time, "Even as a child she was a lone wolf, she never cared much for the men and elves, and their meaningless politics and wars, this was her second family, she never loved anyone more than her parents, well that was until she met you."

Then came a world he had never seen before in his life, it was almost twice the size of the average adult wolf and its fur was far more thicker, fur almost as white as the snow around it. On first sight it looked like a male, but on a closer look, it was a female, a she-wolf, the legendary queen of the wolves. The Dragonborn couldn't believe it, the white wolf queen was a myth, a legend, a story told to children but here it stood, alive and well. Aela placed the cub on the floor before bowing to the wolf queen, it approached Aela without any kind of fear, they placed their heads on one another, it was their way of greeting.

"My Queen, will you teach me a wolf?"

The wolf's eyes were unique, one was a blue as the sky and the other was silver as crystal, what came after surprised Dovahkiin, "Yes, I will."

"What?! A talking wolf? How is that even possible?"

Nocturnal sighed and mockingly pointed out an obvious thing, "Well... dragons talk."

"Point taken," he knew she was right, but he had never seen a talking wolf before, it was unheard of, anywhere throughout Tamriel.

Aela took off her leather boots, barefooted now on the cold hard ground, she wriggled her toes of the coldness and her lips, nose and cheeks were as red as the sun drenched dawn. This was the only way to train as the wolves themselves, to feel the earth with her feet and to become a wolf herself. Under the guidance of both the wolf queen and her father, she became a huntress, and learned how to become a predator, a silent shadow in the world. The queen urged her new pupil to follow her, teaching her the main principals of a wolf, patience, stamina, stealth, ferociousness and power from the heart and the spirit.

Nocturnal said something that pierced Dovahkiin's dragon heart, "She weeps, cries for you, she wants you to come back to her."

"She weeps?"

"Of course, all creatures weep, from the largest and strongest, to the smallest, even daedra weep, Aela is strong, but she still weeps as anyone else, she wants you back into her arms, even if she doesn't say anything."

Dovahkiin wanted to be with Aela, his love, but without allies, the war against the creatures of the night would already be lost. "Nocturnal, why show me this, huh?"

"I showed you this because she has always been alone, as a child, as a young woman, but now she has you, and only you, and your gone, time flows differently in the daedric realms. You may not notice it, but you strengthen Aela, not only her, but also your brotherhood and sisterhood. She... also has to tell you, something important, something that might change the course of this war forever."

Dovahkiin shook violently, he awoke on the bed, both the visions and Nocturnal disappeared, it was at this moment that he understood that he truly missed the one person he cared for, but as he tried to sense her, he could only hear the cries of dragons. He didn't understand it now, but he had to get out of the mad realm before he could do anything to help his love Aela and his brothers and sisters back home. Meeting Sheogorath was just a prelude, what came next would really next the duo's mental strength against the madness that reigns in Sheogorath's realm.

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**I am already half way through the next chapter, I hope to update in the next two weeks or so, I will be also updating some of my Fallout stories, I hope this chapter was enjoyable, reviews were appreciated before and would be appreciated again. Ta! **


	7. Chapter 7

**INTO MADNESS **

**I'm finally back and writing once again, months have passed since I've written anything, but now that I'm back, hopefully I'll be able to update even more. (Please note, this chapter isn't the final product, mistakes are almost certain, I just want to see what you think about this chapter, then I shall fix this up and update even more chapters)**

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"_And how do you know that you're mad? "To begin with," said the Cat, "a dog's not mad. You grant that?" I suppose so, said Alice. "Well then," the Cat went on, "you see a dog growls when it's angry, and wags it's tale when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad." - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass_

The night was restless, dreams and visions clouded his mind around each and every turn, he rolled around the bed with no success. After several hours of being haunted by these dreams, he gradually closed his eyes, letting night take him.

Suddenly, someone or something was prodding him with a stick or staff, as he opened his tired eyes, he noticed Sheogorath staring at him, barely a few centimetres away from Dovahkiin's face. As the dragonborn jumped onto the bed, the old daedric lord yelped and pulled back, laughing, "G'mornin' mate! Sleep well?"

Dovahkiin rubbed his eyes and yawned, "I was, until you came."

"Oops! So sorry lad!" Sheogorath covered his hands with his mouth, "Well, actually I'm not friend. Looky 'ere boy, get up and outta from the bed, we got business to attend, so no lollygagging, savvy?"

"Where are we going?" Dovahkiin questioned, yawing once again.

"Why, to the best tea cup party in all of the world," he gave a skip and turned his staff, pointing it towards the door, "So get up lazybones! I don't have all day! Well... actually I do, but you don't. so rise up!"

"Okay, I'm up," he stood up from the bed, scratching his head, "Where's Farkas?"

"He's already at the party! Now, it's up to us to show up," he chuckled and threw his staff in the air, catching it as it fell back down, "Observe!"

The entire bedroom twisted and turned, golden butterflies erupted from his magical staff, when they landed onto an object, the surrounding area transformed from stone to nature. It was an odd way of teleporting, but he, out of all daedra lords loved to make a scene. As the butterflies fluttered around the dragonborn, rays of golden rays streamed from their blue and gold wings.

They were teleported to the outskirts of the realm, its rainforest was something the dragonborn had yet to see, it was unlike the forests in Skyrim or any forest or rainforest in Tamriel. In the middle, was a long tea table, where Farkas was stuffing his face with all sorts of food.

The food included meat, vegetables and of course sweets, it was a common fact lord Sheogorath was a bit if a sweet tooth, enjoying the pleasures of cake and other sugary foods.

"Mate, welcome to the heart of madness!" the lord raised his arms in the air, "Bloody glorious! Isn't it?"

Dovahkiin patted Farkas on the shoulder, shaking his head, "Farkas? Enjoying yourself?"

Farkas merely nodded, his mouth was stuffed, he couldn't talk even if he wanted to, he gave a muffled laugh as he gathered more food.

Sheogorath and Haskill both shivered as they observed the Nord eating uncontrollably, Dovahkiin pulled the odd looking chair back, noticing the mad gods craftsmanship on it. As he sat down, so did Sheogorath, tapping the table musically with his fingers.

Dovahkiin noticed Haskill was standing and not sitting, he had to question it, "Lord Sheogorath, shouldn't Haskill sit down too?"

Sheogorath looked back at Haskill, the mad god's grin wider than ever, "Haskill? Sitting with us? Oh, you are one funny mortal, me boy! Haskill?!

"Yeas my Lord?" Haskill said.

"Sit down. Now!"

"Of course, Lord Sheogorath, whatever my lord wishes."

Sheogorath could clearly see his champion, Dovahkiin playing his food, his fork went back and forth across his food. The mad god shook his head vigorously, "You should eat lad, don't want you to fall in the arena."

The dragonborn looked up at the lord, giving a soft scoff, "I'm not hungry, tell me about this arena battle."

"Alright, 'tis your call. As for this arena, you shall be fighting against Mehrunes Dagon's champion, he shall be no match for the Dragonborn."

As Dovahkiin sat there, staring into his bowl, listening to Farkas chomping onto the meat and Sheogorath and Haskill chattering, time seemed to accelerate. In a minute, the place darkened and Sheogorath, Farkas and Haskill were nowhere to be seen, he felt different, as if he was being watched over.

"Lord Sheogorath? Farkas? Haskill?" he called out, to no success.

A sound appeared from behind him, as he looked over, there was a golden chalice, fashioned with bright gorgeous gems, it stood on a tree stump, all alone. A voice appeared within his head, over and over again it repeated, "Drink."

The dragonborn stood up and circled the chalice, peering into it, unsure whether this was a trap or something entirely different.

_"Fate is strange thing, is it not?" _the voice was that of his supposed ancestor and legend, Talos, he spoke in a clear, proud and strong voice.

"What's in that chalice?"

_"My power, my wisdom, to be passed onto you," _he said, his voice echoing, _"Your wife is enamoured with you, she is and will always be faithful to you, through the past, present and future. Now drink."_

He brought the gold chalice to his lips, he placed them onto the edge, slowly pouring the water into his throat. Within seconds, the water turned into blood, he didn't stop however, he couldn't, it tasted refreshing. Instantly, it reminded him of back home, to his beautiful wife, images poured within his mind and found himself lost between time and reality.

"I... miss her," he said, "I miss her soothing touch, the crimson hair flowing, with an aroma of roses, lavender and berries. Those fearless and alluring eyes of hers, the warm embrace and the slow smile, along with her rich scarlet lips and fair skin. With an honourable and powerful spirit, I want her in my arms again, I want to feel her lips on mine, but... I want her safe, give me the power to do that, Talos."

As reality came back, the blood trickled down his chin, as it hit the ground and onto his armour, it reverted back to clear water. Dovahkiin wiped his mouth with his hands, taking a good look at the blood and realised it was not the blood of a mere mortal. It was the blood of a hero and champion of morals, it was the blood of Talos.

_"Fight for your wife, fight for your family, _

Dovahkiin found himself teleported to the back area of the arena, he was getting used to being thrown around different places. There he saw Sheogorath, looking outside the bars and cursing Mehrunes Dagon's name.

"Boy, have yer seen anyone more annoying? the mad god turned to Dovahkiin, resting on his staff, "Dagon is very unpopular daedric lord, even along my kind. I don't like him, not one bit. Kick his champions arse for me, eh?"

The dragonborn nodded, checking his equipment, before moving up, to get a closer look outside, he could see Mehrunes Dagon, sitting high up on the arena, his eyes dark with hate for all lesser beings. Dovahkiin could also see Farkas and Haskill, sitting near Mehrunes Dagon, awaiting for the battle of champions to commence.

"Wait lad, I must tell yer something," Sheogorath halted Dovahkiin, the lord had something important to tell him, "You seem yer mind is the source of madness, tis like a labyrinth, full of twists and turns around each corner. The lesser being may be trapped within his own mind, for you see my boy, the mind is not a very complex thing. As a matter of fact, tis a very simple thing, which is why so many enter the state of madness, if you enter a labyrinth you do not wait around idly, you do not try to encumber your mind by remembering little details to each route. The trick you see, is simplicity."

"Simplicity?" Dovahkiin said, confused at how this can be the source of success.

"Shh!" the lord placed a finger on his lips, "For you see, remembering each route will drive you mad, yer mind will enter a black, endless abyss, but finding the treasure in the middle is the easy part. The hard part is getting out and living with yourself. The same goes for this fight yer going to, your opponent might seem strong and complex, much like what I told you, keep in mind that every mortal and immortal think alike. To defeat your enemy, you must become them, you must enter their mind, once inside, you must convince and deceive your enemy. Once yer trick 'em into thinking their surroundings are complex and unknown, their will is broken, and you my friend, you control them, like a puppet on strings."

"Why tell me this, lord?" he questioned once again, unknown to him whether this was a trick or the truth.

"Why?" the lord gave a loud heartily laugh, "I like you boy, yer remind me of meself before I went completely bonkers. Well that, and you are unlike any other living or deceased mortal for that matter, you're the son of legend, lad!"

"No, I'm the son of workers, my parents have no nobility or royalty in their blood, my blood is like that of any other man's."

"Keep telling yourself that boy, but deep down you know you are different to any mortal, you have the blood of a legend, and I'm sure your lovely wife would agree with me too."

The Lord of Madness vanished in a flicker of violet light, Dovahkiin only had one thing on his mind, to destroy Mehrunes Dagon's champion, and return home, to his wife.

The dragonborn unsheathed his blade, walking into the bloody arena, the screaming spectators could be heard from a distance. His opponent stood in the middle of the arena, the creature from the netherworld was clad in the darkest heavy armour, its face and skin were hidden. One could not tell if he was a mortal or simply a spirit who lost its way in oblivion. It stood almost nine feet tall, its blade and mace glowed in an unearthly colour. Other men would shake in horror, but not him. Dovahkiin stood his ground, awaiting for the battle to commence, he fought many terrible creatures, dragons, corrupt lords, devious men and even the armies of the night.

It began, the warrior from the shadows, was the first to begin, it struck at the Dragonborn with all its might, missing by hairs length. Dovahkiin rolled around, striking at his opponents legs.

The crowd numbered in the thousands, cheering and hollering for both of the competitors. Dovahkiin vertically slashed at the creature, but it managed to block it, with its dark arts of magic. Its evil laughter echoed throughout the arena, the dark creature kicked at Dovahkiin, knocking him back to the ground. It struck at the Dragonborn's shoulder, the dark magical blade piercing through the armour and to his skin. Dovahkiin growled in pain, but refused to surrender to a lowly creature from the darkness.

The creature kneeled down, whispering into Dovahkiin's ear, in a raspy evil voice, "When I'm finished with you, I'm going to pay a visit to that lovely wife of yours.:

Dovahkiin pulled his sword upwards, standing up and striking at the creature, doing very little damage. The dark knight chuckled as he deflected each coming attack, "Such anger, such defiance, do you honestly believe you will be able to defeat me?"

The dragonborn continued slashing his sword at his enemy, the magical sword and each time it hit nothing but air. Before he was able to use his draconic shouting, a pain surged throughout his body, his shoulder was cursed with the blade that struck him.

This warrior from the shadows was horrible in appearance and brutal in its fighting form. The blows from it were stronger than anticipated, it began unleashing its full fury on Dovahkiin, shattering the Dragonborn's shield into many pieces.

Dovahkiin tripped onto the, the crowd cheered loudly, Lord Sheogorath gave sigh and watched on curiously. The dragonborn got his bearings, getting up. The dark knight sidestepped as the dragonborn slashed at it, missing it. Dagon's champion punched Dovahkiin, and knocked the sword out of his hands.

Hurt, but not broken, the wounded Dovahkiin observed his enemy, his surroundings dimmed and he ignored the loud cheering. Sheogorath told him, _"The trick is simplicity."_

Time flowed to a point unrecognisable, everything slowed, the word simplicity was repeated several times within Dovahkiin's mind. He scanned his enemy, realising the dark knight was like a child. Its attacks were sluggish, it swung its blade like an amateur, it was uncoordinated, it had no respect for its opponent.

The dragonborn remembered Sheogorath's words, he memorised that everything alive was simple, not complex, each living thing had a weakness. To succeed, Dovahkiin had to exploit the dark knights weakness.

Farkas urged Dovahkiin to get up, "Here, use this blade!",Farkas used all his upper body strength to chuck his great sword to his friend.

The great sword fell near Dovahkiin's feet, the dark knight, realising what the two were playing, tried finishing off his enemy painfully. Dovahkiin breathed in deeply, "FUS-RO-DAH!"

He didn't another time, this time putting more power into his, the dragonborn suddenly heard the voice of his ancestor accompany his, both of them shouted at the same time, "FUS-RO-DAH!."

Dovahkiin's opponent was flung back, hitting the ground with a heavy force, it stood up almost immediately, as it tried to counterattack, the dragonborn sliced off the dark knights arm off cleanly.

The dark knight fell to its knees, his amputated arm did not gush out blood , instead darkness seemed to escape from the wound. It chuckled evilly, coughing under its helmet, gasping for air or darkness.

It noticed an image overlap that of Dovahkiin, it was the image of Talos, the dark knight laughed uncontrollably and spoke, "Talos!"

Dovahkiin showed no mercy however, he gripped his magic infused blade and swiped it across the knights neck, growling in anger as he used his finishing move.

The audience fell silent, but as the viscous dark knights head rolled back to the ground and body collapsed, they erupted in cheers. Mehrunes Dagon snarled and screamed, as he vanished into his own realm, his voice reached out from shadows, cursing his daedric enemy, "Your luck will not always be there lord Sheogorath, one day I will reign supreme."

Lord Sheogorath skipped and giggled as he bounced to Dovahkiin, his new champion, he gave two slight jumps near him before flinging his arms in the air, "Bloody good show lad! I haven't seen a fight like that in centuries!"

"Thank you, Lord Sheogorath," said the dragonborn giving him a slight bow, his face fresh with cuts and bruises.

"No, thank you boy! You gave this old daedric lord a good laugh!"

The dragonborn gave a bloody grin, the blood stuck in between his teeth, "Can I go home now?"

Farkas suddenly appeared out of nowhere, "Don't you mean we?"

"Your journey has just begun my boy," Lord Sheogorath snorted, "You have your ancestors amulet, you have drunk yer ancestors blood, now it's time for you to go and find the other pieces."

"Other pieces?" Dovahkiin questioned confusingly.

"Well of course lad, the other pieces of Talos, so... chop-chop boy, 'tis not an easy task."

"Aren't you going to help us?" Dovahkiin stared at the mad god.

"Not my problem friend," Sheogorath rubbed his chin, smiling broadly, "Now, you are in for one big surprise when you get back, ha-ha."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ooh, doesn't time fly by, eh lad? Bye-bye! For now."

The mad lords voice and maniacal laughter distorted, the surrounding area shined in a bright light piercing light, it blinded the two Nords, everything vanished. Dovahkiin was unsure of how time passed, but even though the abyss took a hold, he heard a familiar sound. He heard a similar sound, the wind felt familiar across his face, it was home, it was the sound of the trees swaying and the howling of the wind, it was Skyrim.

The coldness of the snow awoke him and as he awoke alongside his friend Farkas, both of them were starting to get used to travelling in this weird way. They stumbled across a brutal scene, the rotting corpses numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands, it was a horrible sight to behold, even for strong men such as them. Some were in more perfect shape than others, while others were torn to many pieces, the stench was sickening.

Farkas stepped up, covering his nose to block out the horrible stench, "Who could have done this, huh?"

"I... don't know, but it doesn't look good, just look at these ones," Dovahkiin kneeled down on one knee, Farkas followed from behind, "No bites, or weapons were used against these ones, it seems like they ripped apart by an unknown source of magic."

They both stood up at the same time, covering their noses in disgust, desperately trying to escape from this rotten stench. They left the scene, making their way up the mountain to get a better view of the landscape, what they say would be forever burnt within their minds. The farmland was burnt to the ground, the villages no longer stood and the people were either dead or disappeared from sight.

Winter had set in, but it was different from before, it felt unnatural, it was far colder than usual and they could feel it. Both men were well adjusted to the cold, but they felt this was the work of something against nature. As they trekked through the cold, misty forests and mountains, they felt weird, as if their homeland was now alien, nothing seemed the same anymore.

It was at that point that Dovahkiin halted, he smelt something in the air, a scent all too familiar. His instincts told him to follow the trail, as he rushed off in search of the scent, Farkas could hardly follow.

"Gods, I need to ease up on food," said Farkas, groaning as he could feel the stiches in his gut.

After several hours of going through the unpredictable weather, they finally found themselves, in a place unknown to them, near the Cyrodil border. It was a hidden village, one that was cloaked to intruders and invaders. Years ago, it was abandoned due to various reasons. Now it seemed more lively and had a new purpose.

The two entered the village and were surprised at how well it stood its ground. Dovahkiin's eyes were set upon only one person, his wife, Aela.

There she sat on the ground, lonesome and glaring into nothing, she turned to her husband's direction, her eyes fixated on her only love. She stood up from the cold ground, her hear thudding with each step, her breath clearly visible in the cold air. She moved into his body, embracing him tightly. He lowered his arms, returning a warm embrace, he could feel his wife trembling in his arms, both from the cold and in excitement.

The brothers also reunited, Farkas and Vilkas gave heartily chuckles as they greeted one another in a more suitable and brotherly embrace.

Aela looked up at her husband, giving a smile, the cold wind that brewed, caused her to receive a pink face, her breaths intensified the tighter she embraced him. She could feel his thickened stubble, it was just one small detail she missed her husband dearly.

"Is it really you?" she placed her hand on his cheek.

"Yes, it's me, I'm back home, love," he replied back, touching her hand.

He could clearly see something different about her, she acted differently, she constantly moved her hand around her stomach.

"Is everything okay?" he was concerned, and she could see it in his eyes.

"We are going to be parents, I am bearing your child, love, I-I'm pregnant," she said, worried about his response.

He just stood there, obviously in surprise, her heart near stopped during that time, but his face turned, a slow smile appeared on his face. He laughed and embraced her tightly, she wrapped her arms around his waist, she missed him.

The dragonborn placed his hand on his wives belly, and even though she didn't show yet, he could feel his child's soul. As he felt the soul, he looked up to her and chuckled.

"What is it?" she gasped slightly.

"Not child," he replied happily, "Children, twins, we have twins."

"Twins?" she gave a quiet laugh, "How do you know that, love?"

"I can feel them, I smelt your scent and their cries."

"I missed you, so much my love," she smiled , showing much happiness, kissing him passionately.

Farkas and Vilkas exchanged glances, they weren't surprised, for they knew Aela and Dovahkiin had wedded, but they knew their journey might be more difficult then they previously anticipated. As the brothers congratulated the couple, Farkas and Dovahkiin were intrigued at what happened during their time away.

"What has occurred during my departure," the dragonborn questioned, unafraid of his wives and Vilkas' response.

"Don't you mean, our departure?" Farkas butted in, feeling left out of the conversation.

"It happened shortly after you and Farkas left," Aela said, "The dark beasts came, vampire lords and other lesser undead creatures, skeletons and walking corpses. Soldiers came to deal with the problem and innocent people where caught in the crossfire. You came across the murder on the battlefield, too many people died. Men like to think they rule the world, but they don't, their politics and desires will bring our downfall. Man's hubris and bloody desire, meant their defeat was at hand."

"What did our people do?" Dovahkiin was curious, as well a Farkas who remained silent behind his brother.

"When they came closer, we fought, while we were able to take out a few," Aela said, "Without you however, we never stood a chance, they drove us here and people from all over Skyrim. Some of our own were also scattered to different parts."

"Well, I'm here now, I'm stronger, and together we will defeat whoever is doing all of this, I promise you," said Dovahkiin,.

Aela nodded and placed her over her husband's heart, "These creatures of the dark are being controlled by a vampire lord."

"I thought I defeated the lord of vampires," said Dovahkiin

"He probably had a successor, whatever the reason, we must defeat this vampire," replied Aela.

"I know, we will defeat them, together, united as one."

Dovahkiin excused himself to his wife and brethren, he needed to wash himself from the battle he had just fought.

The dragonborn made his way to the waterfalls, he needed a refreshment, and this was the only place for it. Safe from bandits and predators, it was a haven for all, humans, elves and animals from everywhere.

Dovahkiin's eyes were sore and weary, he hadn't slept properly for days, or months, from a certain point of view. He started removing each piece of his armour slowly, his body felt extremely lighter and more relaxed. As he steadily dropped into the water, it felt aeons had passed since he had a proper bathe. The water was not freezing nor was it boiling, it was a perfect mixture of the two. Some moment passed when his felt fingers move across his neck, he opened his tired eyes to see his wife, Aela staring down at him, ever so beautiful and fearless. A slow smile crept on her face, giving a silent chuckle as she played with her husband's blonde hair, which had grown a good two inches since he left.

As he drifted away from his surroundings by her soft touch, she noticed a glint appear from his pendant. First it shined in a bright ruby colour before reverting back to its original form.

Where did you receive this, my love?" she questioned, clearly amazed, "I've never seen such fine, beautiful craftsmanship."

He pulled up the pendant and half laughed, "You wouldn't believe even if I told you."

"Humour me."

"Okay, I received this gift from my supposed ancestor, Talos," he shook his head in disbelieve, "I can scarcely believe it myself, but here it is, the blood and legacy of my ancestor . It's just a shame I'll never achieve greatness in the way he did."

"No, you will, you are powerful, never doubt that love, your power and will exceeds that of any ordinary man. Your legacy will live on, with our children, in mere months you and I will be a father and mother, it is truly hard to believe. You are the only man I want in my life, together in this world and in the next, for eternity I suppose. Never stop believing, I am with you always love, I believe in you and your power."

He pulled her down to himself without any warning, placing his lips on hers, she pulled him even closer. He could taste raspberries from her reddened lips, and exciting and pleasurable flavour. Aela noticed the wound on her husband's shoulder, she moved in and kissed it.

"What would I do without you my Queen? I can't imagine life without you." he gave a small smile.

"My life was empty before you came" she returned the smile, "I can't imagine life without you too, my love for you has never waned, even when I first met you, I knew I loved you."

The duo looked overhead, observing the beautiful lightshow above in the dark sky, the colours shimmering brightly in the heavens.

"Have you ever seen anything more beautiful and majestic?" she continued looking overhead.

He turned Aela and caressed her cheeks, "Well, just one thing, and she's right here beside me."

Aela gave a small smile, giving several teasing touches with her lips, "I love you."

"Thy soul is bloodied, it years for an everlasting love," he began, "Behold, a love unbound and unshackled, free as the eagle, soaring in the air and as strong as the diamond set in stone. Thou shall never surrender, that which art as beautiful and precious, as thy the divine as the love for one another."

"I've never heard that before, where did you it?" she questioned.

"My mother told me this poem when I was just a child, her mother did the same to her, back to my eldest ancestors, I keep it close to my heart, as I do you."

He stood from the refreshing water, feeling fully cleansed and refreshed from an ordeal that would destroy an ordinary man's body and mind. As the dragonborn murmured a spell, the entire forest glowed in a bright light of fireflies. Aela looked around in awe and amazement, it had been a while since she had seen such beauty from nature. Every day was an adventure with him, each day she learned more things about her husband.

"Night is coming," she said, in a soft voice, "Let's rest, for who knows what we might come up against tomorrow."

"You're right, let's get some rest, it feels like I haven't slept in months."

"I know how feel," she replied back.

The new homestead may have been small, but the land was rich and the frontal and rear areas were protected by the mountains. Hidden well and fruitful, the new denizens here were grateful for their new home, especially since it was under the watchful eyes of the greatest warriors and even the legend, Dovahkiin himself.

These new residents walked from all over, some were more wealthier than others, but the two sides seemed to work together. As safe as this new homestead was, it was not devoid of dangerous wildlife, sentries have had already seen wolves, foxes and bears, among others. These animals posed threat to the farm animals, but like the people of old, they learned how to deal with nature. Out of pure luck or from some intervention, the occupied area, as well as the surrounding areas were full of rare and even unheard of flora and fauna. People took this as a sign of blessing, surprised that their people or even the people across the border never discovered the golden land of honey and riches.

Further up north was a small villa, smaller than the others surrounding it, but it's substitute was the sturdy and reliable wood. Almost identical in the exterior and interior to her families villa, it brought back many memories.

The night was pleasant and the warmth from the fireplace and the heat from his body ensured he fell asleep in mere minutes. She on the other hand couldn't help but contemplate. As she lay on her side, watching him sleep peacefully, she suddenly felt alive once again. She placed her head on his warm, bare chest and listened to his strong heart beat, it was a soothing sound. One after another, it was the beat of a man who had ascended, the beat of a hero and legend, it was the heart of her love. She shut her eyes very slowly, listening to each beat very closely, after several beats she drifted off to her sleep.

* * *

**This was my longest chapter for all my stories, I was going to put into two parts, but I just decided to put it all together. I apologise for any mistakes, I wrote some parts in a rush, but I will fix any mistakes. Well, now that I'm back writing, I will probably update this story more often, as well my others. Will update my Fallout stories in the coming weeks (hopefully) any reviews are welcome. **


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